Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault
Introduction
Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault, as adapted by Kiwi Opa, is the novel discussed below. It is an adaptation of a story that was first published in Europe in 1697. The plot centers on a cunning cat who uses deceit and trickery to obtain wealth, influence, and a princess marriage for his poor, common-born master who has no ties to the nobility.
Detailed Drawings and Stereotypical Depictions
The book's drawings are very detailed. The female characters, meanwhile, are merely shown as objects of beauty. Stereotypically, beautiful women are portrayed as princesses. It implies that the only thing that gives them value to society is their beauty. The use of wind mills and farms in the illustrations is a stereotypical depiction of European peasants.
Depiction of Affluence and Nobility
In the story line, the king's daughter falls in love with the Puss's master because he looks affluent and noble (Perrault, 2014). The young man never looked like making it in life until he appeared wealthy and powerful. The cat goes to the farmlands and villages and threatens the people to say the lands belong to his master in order to show his power and wealth. The cat also tricks the ogre so as to acquire the palace for his master. The story makes it look like affluence and nobility is the standard of success. As a poor man in tatters without a title and wealth, the chances of getting a hand in marriage would have been very minimal.
Racial Connotations
The poor man's problems are solved by a cat. The story does not depict race in any way but it can be assumed that the cat represents a group of people looked down upon because of their physical outlook. However, the human qualities given to the cat are better suited to prevent children from developing inclined perceptions on the basis of physical attributes. Clearly, the cat's master is European. On the other hand, the princess's achievements are because of her beauty which is overemphasized by the author. Her status as the princess serves to increase her value and desirability from the man. A woman's role has been undermined as the author shows that the ultimate goal of a woman is to get married, raise a family and live happily ever after.
Depiction of Social Status
The poor people's lifestyle is despised in the story whereby Puss hides his master's garments with the aim of getting those tailored by the king's servants (Perrault, 2014). The accepted standard of life is nobility. The peasants and the villagers are threatened by Puss and they oblige because of their social status. For someone to be successful in that society, one is required to have a noble background.
Patriarchal Society
In the story's society, noblemen possess power, take leadership positions, and make the important decisions. The society can be said to be patriarchal given that the queen is not mentioned and only male characters own property. The princess serves a supporting and subservient role in the story.
The Hero and Villain
The story has a notable character appearing in fables. The ogre serves as a villain rather than a hero given that the servants do not like him for his cruelty. The hero of the story is Puss who cannot be directly linked to a particular group of people. The hero of the fable has been developed to serve the interests of the disadvantaged in the story. Puss eats the ogre in the form of a rat. He does that for the sake of his master's happiness together with the princess.
Eurocentric Depictions
All the human characters in the story are European. The king is depicted as a generous person when he asks his servants to save Puss's master, clothe him and he rides with him in his carriage (Perrault, 2014). The princess is the standard of beauty and she is illustrated as very pretty. No other race features in the story. However, a child's self-image can be distorted as the king and the princess are all white but so is the poor man. Girls will be led to think that fair skin and slim body is the real beauty given the princess's features. The poor man is a gleam of hope for the disadvantaged.
Author's Background and Perspective
The author, Charles Perrault, lived in the pre-French revolution era in which there were kings and the nobility. The author is from a wealthy background and worked in the king's government. However, the perspective of the story is derived from the folktales. As such it is patriarchal and Eurocentric. However, the story is written from the perspective of someone who wants to fight for the disadvantaged in society.
Sexism and Cultural Diversity
The story is mildly sexist given the depiction of female characters. However, the language is moderately balanced. The obvious words that might not be appropriate are peasants, lord, and servants since they refer to servitude and slavery. However, since the copyright dates to 1697, royalty and servitude are to be expected. The text is not particularly multicultural, hence not culturally sound. As such, it is not appropriate for elementary readers without sufficient revision. It represents the struggles of the disadvantaged people in society but fails to adequately show the position occupied by other cultures in a diverse society. Furthermore, the story demeans women as objects of beauty and ultimate prizes to be earned by men. The story is bound to destroy the self-image of female children. Beauty should never be a standard used to determine whether a woman can succeed or not. Children from minority cultures would not be able to engage in cultural diversity in a positive way.
References
Perrault, C. (2014). Puss in Boots. Cape Town: Kiwi Opa.
